This blog is a repository of observations and random thoughts of someone with a serious case of wanderlust

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Diving With Sail Caribbean Divers on Tortola, British Virgin Islands

On November 2, 2016, as a shore excursion from the Norwegian cruise ship "Escape" we dove with Sail Caribbean Divers in Road Town, on the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. Diving with this company was, without doubt, one of the finest of my novice-level diving experience. My partner Cathy Hayslett, who has been on more than 150 dives on three continents, was also massively impressed with the quality of the dive and more importantly the quality of the customer service provided by Sail Caribbean Divers. On our return from the cruise I wrote a review of the company and posted it on Trip Advisor. I'm re-posting that same information here and hope that if you are a diver, and plan to travel to the British Virgin Islands, you look no farther than Sail Caribbean Divers for your trips. You will not be disappointed.

“If There Is A Grade Higher Than A++ This Company Deserves It!”

My
partner Cathy Hayslett and I participated in a two-tank dive with Sail
Caribbean Divers on November 2, 2016. This was done as a shore excursion from
the Norwegian Escape. From the moment we boarded the dive boat, the six of us
on this trip knew we were in the hands of professionals. Our objective for the
day was to dive the Wreck of the Royal Mail Steamer Rhone in up to 85 feet of
water. Before each dive we were given extensive background information on where
we were diving, what to hopefully see, and all of the standard safety
precautions. We had four dive masters for the six of us which is totally
unheard of with most dive operators. There was simply no way any of us could
have encountered any sort of problem without one of their highly professional
dive masters being right there to help us.

Brian and Matt are two of the superb staff who will ensure you have a safe and highly satisfactory experience when you dive with Sail Caribbean Divers

Because I am a relatively novice diver (14 logged dives) I informed Brian, one
of the dive masters, and he went out of his way to make sure I was safe and
that I experienced the most possible from the dive experience. The other dive
masters, Adam, Matt and Marcus were equally as helpful and readily
available.

The dives were incredible with visibility of at least 60 feet.
Marine life was super abundant which, for a retired wildlife biologist, was an
added treat. All in all from the beginning of the trip until our reluctant
return to the ship we were well cared for (the pound cake during our surface
interval was so tasty I had two pieces).

The only snag in the experience was before departure when the British Virgin
Islands Customs Department decided that jerking around the dive operators over
some ridiculous paperwork held up our departure for an hour. This was totally
NOT the fault of Sail Caribbean Divers - it was Caribbean politics at its
finest. Because of our late departure (which, again, was not the fault of Sail
Caribbean Divers) each dive participant was given a free t-shirt as a token of
the company's concern for the tardiness of the departure. They certainly were
under no obligation to do so but felt it was necessary to keep their clients
happy. Not many dive operators would have gone that extra mile.

As we departed the dive boat at the conclusion of our trip, I shook Brian's
hand and told him "I would come back and dive with you any day." And
I meant it.

Its obvious from this review that both Cathy and I absolutely loved our dives
and loved this dive company. We cannot recommend them highly enough and are
certain that if you choose to dive with Sail Caribbean Divers you will return
from the experience with the same effervescence that we possess. I guarantee
it.